Teen pleads guilty in Detroit motorist beating

Jun. 16, 2014
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Bruce Wimbush, 18, raises his right hand before pleading guilty to charges of assault with intent to cause great bodily harm in Wayne County Circuit Court on June 16, 2014. / Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press

by Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press

by Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press

DETROIT - One of the men accused of severely beating a motorist after a car accident last April took a plea agreement Monday and will testify against three other men accused in the incident.

Bruce Wimbush, 18, of Detroit pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm, a felony carrying up to 10 years in prison, in the beating of Steve Utash of Clinton Township.

Utash, 54, was beaten by a mob of men after he got out of his truck to help a 10-year-old boy he hit after the child darted into traffic in Detroit on April 2. According to relatives, Utash suffered severe head injuries and was discharged from the Detroit Medical Center's Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in May.

Wimbush said under oath Monday that he and a friend were walking home from school when they saw the crash. They waved down Utash, telling him he needed to check on the child, Wimbush said.

He said Utash hesitated then went back to check on the boy. Men started hitting Utash, Wimbush said, and he saw Utash knocked to the ground and get back up, dazed. Wimbush said that he then hit Utash in the jaw.

"I have a little brother," Wimbush said. "When I saw that he hit that kid, all I could see at the time was my little brother. I got emotional. I let my anger take over."

Even before agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors, Wimbush had received threats during his time in county jail, Wayne County prosecutor Lisa Lindsey said. Judge James Callahan advised Wimbush to tell him if there are any more threats.

Meanwhile, Wimbush was released on a personal-recognizance bond until his July 7 sentencing.

Pre-trial hearings that had been scheduled for Monday were rescheduled to Thursday for codefendants Latrez Cummings, 19, James Davis, 24, and Wonzey Saffold, 30.